Door operating mechanism



f sept, 23, 1941.

P. R. FORMAN ETAL DooR OPERATING MECHANISM Fiied April 29, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Pars i?. Forman Pascoe D. Conklin Sept. 23,1'941. P. R. FORMAN ETAL DOOR` OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 29, 19393 Sheets-Sheet 2 @www g INVENTORS Fm dit Con/clin Pars l?. F'o Ro'scae DJS ATTORN s Sept. 23,l 1941.

P. R. FORMAN ET AL DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 29, 1939 '3Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS nbr waan BY acne 7.0011 [in y QJZ; 0L ATTO SPatented Sept 23, 1941 Unirse STATES PAT ENT OFFICE Paris R. Forman andRoscoe D. Conklin, Rahway,

N. J., assignors to National Pneumatic Company, New York, N. Y.,Virginia 'a corporation of West Application April 29, 1939, Serial Nol270,727

3 Claims. j(Cl. 268-65) This invention relates to improvements in poweroperated door mechanisms.

vAn object of this invention is to provide, in combination with a dooror similar closure member, and a door check device arranged to close thedoor, a motive device for supplying the power to open the door and meansinterconnecting it with the door whereby the motive device opens thedoor and the door check .device is free to .and does close the door.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in a combination of theabove type, a member driven by the motive device for causing the door toopen and immediately returnable from Open position after the doorreaches fully open position, either by the motive device orindependently thereof.

Another object successfully secured by the above mechanism is that ofbeing able to manually open the door independently of the poweroperating mechanism whereby the failure thereof does not prevent thenormal use of the door.

An additional object of the invention successfully secured by the abovemechanism is that of permitting the door to be held open after Vbeingopened by the mechanism without disturbing it structurally orfunctionally and without any special action On the part of the user.

Additional objects of this invention which are successfully securedthereby will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of thefollowing detailed description of two forms of the invention submittedfor the purpose of illustrating the true scope thereof.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction,arrangement and relative location of parts as hereinafter disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the upper portion of a closuremember and the mechanism associated therewith which, in combination,comprises one form of this invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure l.

Figure 3 is a left hand end elevational view of a detail.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a suitable circuit for thismechanism.

Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 with the closure memberomitted, showing a modified form of this invention.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a suitable circuit for themodified form of the invention.

CIU

Vdoor in any suitable manner.

In the structure oi Figures 1 to'4 inclusive, a member which may betermed. herein a'nut, when moved by the power source in one direction,

causes through suitable connecting means the closure member to openandas soon as it is fully open the nut is returned toits initialposition independently of the motive device. This leaves the door freeto be closed by means of a door 'check device which may take anyone of anumber of known forms. Y

As illustrated in Figure 1, the wall or framework containingv the dooropening is indicated by the reference numeral I. The door which closesthis opening is shown at 2 mounted at the side of `the opening by aplurality of hinges 2',

only one of which is shown so that the door is of the swinging type.

LMounted on the door near the ltop,.at any suitable location, isa doorcheck device 3 which is illustrated in one well known form. The checkdevice is secured to the door as illustrated by meansof a bracket 4which is integral with the :housing of the check device and securedtothe This-check device, as is well known, comprises a casing having avertical Vshaft `rotatably vmounted therein which is provided, as shown,with` an arm or lever 5 extending horizontally. The lever 5 isYpivotally connected at l6 to a-lever 1 which inlturn is Ypivotallyconnected at 8 to an attaching plate 9 secured in any suitable manner tothe wall in which the door opening lies.

Door check devices Yof this type are `usually provided with aspring, asis well known, which stores potential energy when `the door is openwhich is expended in closing the door when free. In addition vthesedevices are normally provided with some form of cushioning mechanismsuch as dashpots to ensure a smoother'action.

At lIII is asupporting plate of `any suitable form which is secured tothe wall over the door 'opening and is adapted to receive, as is clearfrom Figure 2, a removable cover I I by means of which the mechanism isenclosed. In thelbottom wall of the cover there is provided alongitudinal slot 'I2 as is clear from Figure 2, for a Apurpose to beexplained later.

Mounted on the base II! is a motive device which in the form of theinvention illustratedis an electric motor. It will be apparent as thedescription proceeds that other suitable forms of motive devices can beused, as for example Aa pressure fluid operated engine with thenecessary mechanism to convert its rectilinear movement and 20 mountedon the plate I9. 'The threaded rod I 8 is rotatably mounted in thesebrackets.

This rod has mounted on the end thereof adjacent the housing I1 a sleeve22 which is connected to the inner end of a spiral spring 2| by means ofa rivet or screw 23.` The outer end of the spring 2| is connected'to thewall of the member I1 by means of a rivet or screw 24. As is clear fromFigure 2, this spirally Wound spring is enclosed within the annularhousing |1. Ex-

tending between the standards I9 and 20 isa pair of parallel rods orguide bars 'and 26 which lie parallel tothe screw rodV I8.y A carriage21 provided with` suitably shaped sleeves 28 and 29 slides on the. rods25 and 26. VVThe carriage isprovided With Aa centralpassagetherethrough, as is clear'from Figures 1 and 2, of a diameter.so'that the threaded rod I8 may pass freely through it. A member 3.6 lisslidably mounted on the rods 25and 26 and has a central threadedpassagewhich engages thevthreads on the rod I8 and may therefore betermed a nut.

v Secured to the housing of the door check 3 is a bracket 33 .to .whichat one end is pivotally connected a link 32 which is also vpivotallyconnected at its lother end to a depending projection on the carriage21. Mounted on the base I0 is a limit switch 35 provided withan-operating arm 34 positioned to be engaged by a lug 33 mounted on thecarriage as Willbe explained later. lIn `Figure 1 there is.diagrammatically illustrated at R a relayvwhich` will be referred to inconnection f 'with Figure 4.

In Figure 4 the terminals 36and 31.01" the circuit are adapted to beconnected to any suitable current source. The lead 39 from the terminal36, has connected therein theplimit switch 35.

Lead 39 is connected to a wire 46 which termi-` nates at one end in a'pair of spaced contacts 4| and at the other end in a fixed contact 42form ing -part of the relayR. Another part of contacts 43 positionedadjacent the contacts 4| is connected by thewire 44 tooneterminal oftheoperating winding 45 of thejrelay R. ,u The other terminal of thewinding is connected by Wire 46 to one terminal of the motor I3. 'Iheother Yterminal of the motor is connected by wire 49 to Wire 44 and bywire 56 to the fiXed 'terminal 5I of the relay. Wire 46 is'connected bywire 41 to the terminal k31. The relay is provided with a movable*contact 52 which isvorut. of engagement with the fixed contacts 5| and42 when the Winding 45 is deenergized and'in engagement therewith whenenergized. The pairs of contacts 4I and 43 are part of pushbutton'switches which have been designated by the reference characters Oand C. These push button switches are mounted on the wall I adjacentthe'dooron Y opposite sides thereof and serve to initiate the openingoperation when operated respectively by a person desiring to movethrough the door opening. Y

The operation of the device will now be de# scribed inadetail, it beingassumed that the door is closed, terminals 36 and 31 are-connected. to asuitable current source and switches O andC are open. Atthistime thelimit switch 35is closed and relay R is deenergized. In order to openthe door from either side either switch O or C is manually operatedthereby connecting the respective contacts of the pairs 4| and 43together.

Current then flows from the source to terminal 36 through closed limitswitch 35, wire 39, wire 40, the connected pair of contacts 4I and 43,Wire 44, winding 45, wire 46, and back to the current source throughwires 41 and terminal 31. energizes the winding 45 and operates therelay so that movable Contact 52 interconnects the contacts 5I and 42.Current then flows from the wire 48 through contact 42, movable contact52, contact 5|, wire 59, wire 49, winding 45, wire 46, and Wire 41providing a holding circuit for the winding 45 maintaining it energized.

Current also flows from wire 59 through the motor I3 and back to thecurrent source through wires 46 and 41. Thus the motor is energizedcausing it .to revolve with the result that the shaft I8 revolves and atthe Sametime the spring 2| winds up. The-threads on the? shaftf|8 andthe nut 39 are inthe proper direction'to'caus'the vnut 30 to move fromits initial position shown Vcauses carriage 21'to slide to the right-Through the connecting mechanism the door is caused to swing open.Atlthis time it mayfbe noted that the slot I2 in the cover I'I isprovided so that the depending projection on the carriage may.. movetherein. As lthe door reaches fully open position, the lug 33 on thecarriage21 engages the operatingV arm 34 of the limit switch .35 tocpenit. rIt may be noted that the spiral spring 2| is not tightly coiled so'that any tendency of the motor to overrun at this time can be absorbedby the spring.

As soon as limit switch v35 .opens winding 45 of the relay isdeenergized so that the holding vcircuit Yfor the Winding and thecurrent supply circuit for the motor are broken by the disengagement ofcontact 52 and contacts 5IV and 42. At this point it may be noted, asisobvious,"that switches O and C need only be closed momentarily in Viewo-f the fact that a holding circuit is set up for therelay. When themotor circuit is broken it is quickly brought to a stopbyV the furthercoiling Vof the spring 2|. Immediately thereupon the coiled spring 2|causes the shaft I8 to revolve in the reverse direction returning thenut 30 to its initial position. The springs 36 and 31 on the rods 25and26 serve as bumpers ,to aid in bringing the nut to a stop. When the nutis back at its normal position the coiled spring 2| is relaxed to itsnormal position as shownjin Figure 3. Also it is capable of additionaluncoiling movement if necessary., YIn other words, in all normaloperation ofthisV apparatus the spring 2| is never coiled or uncoiledtothe maximum.

to be returned .to closed position by means of the door check devicewhich as isY Well known is a motive device which stores energy on theopening `of the door suiiicient .to- Vclose the door when it isreleased. As the door is returnedto closed position the carriage 21 iscaused toslide back to its initial position. With this arrangement itwill be seen that the door is not positively connected to the drivemechanism so that it'canbe freely opened by hand and whenfullyopened'can be held open as longas may be desired. f

`In Figures 5eand/ 6 many of the parts are the same as before and wherethis occurs the same reference numerals are employed, It maybe This Thereturn of the nut 38 leaves the doorfree noted that the link. 32 isconnected to the door check as before, which is mounted on the door andsecured to the door frame as previously described. The main differencebetween the structure here disclosed andv that previously described isthat the casing l1 and the spring mechanism therein is omitted and inplace thereof there is provided a pulley l1 rigidly secured kto theshaft i8. This pulley is connected by the belt l5 to the pulley I5 asbefore. The carriage vand nut structure are the same. However, anotherlimit switch Eil is provided, with an operating arm 6l arranged to beengaged by the lug 33 when the door is' in closed position to openswitch 60.

In this case the relay R is provided'with'many more movable contactsthan in the previous case and the motor I3 is a 'reversing motor. Thecurrent supply terminal 36 is connected by wire 33 to one terminal ofthe winding 45 of the relay and to two contacts of a fixed paircontrolled by the relay. One contact of another pair is connected b-ywire 15 to one of the iXed contacts of the push button switch 1I. Theother terminal of the push button switch is connected by wire 12 to thecurrent supply terminal 31 and through the limit switches 35 and 60 tothe corresponding contacts of three pairs controlled b-y the relay.

The other terminal of the winding 45 is connected to the wire 1B. Wire38 is connected by wire S2 to one of the windings of the motor I3', theother terminal of that winding being connected to one of the contacts ofeach of four pairs controlled by the relay. One of the contacts of eachof two pairs of the relay is connected by wire 89 to one terminal ofanother winding of the motor I3 and the remaining terminal thereof isconnected to one of the fixed contacts of each of another paircontrolled by the relay. The relay is provided with seven movablecontacts designated by the reference numerals 13, 14,15, 16, 11, 18 and18. The movable contacts 13, 14, 15 and 16 cooperate with four pairs ofthe iixed contacts and are out of en` gagernent therewith when thewinding 45 is deenergized, as shown. At this time the movable contacts11, 13 and 19 interconnect three pairs of the iixed contacts of therelay. Only one push button switch 1I is shown but it is apparent thatas many more as desired may be connected in parallel therewith so thatthe door may be opened from either side or from any desired point.

In the operation of this arrangement, when switch 1l is closed currentows from terminal 3S through wire 3B, winding 45, wire 10, closed switch1l, and back to the current terminal 31 through wire 12, energizingwinding 45. The movable contacts of the relay then shift from theposition shown to the other position so that the circuits through thelower three contacts are broken and the circuits through the upper threecontacts are made. Current then flows through wire 3B, winding d5, wire10, the switch including the movable contact 13, closed limit switch 35,and back through wire 12 to the terminal 31. Thus a holding circuit forthe winding 4'5 is completed and therefore switch 1I need only be closedmomentarily. Current also flows from wire 38 through the closed switchincluding the movable contact 15 through wire 8l, the winding of themotor connected thereto, Wire 80, the switch including the movablecontact 15, through the wire connected thereto, to the switch includingthe movable contact 14 and through the closed limit switch 35 to wire12.

Current also flows from wire 38 through wire 32, thevwinding of themotor connected thereto `end .of the mechanism causing the door to open4as before. Just as the` door is fully open the arm 33 engages theoperating member 34. of switch -35`opening it.

It will beremembered that as soon as the carriage '21 'began to move,arm 34 released the operating member 5'! of the limit switch 60 so thatrit closes. ldoes not affect the `circuits since the switch of Theclosing of this switch, of course,

the relay including the` contact 1| is at this `time open." As soon aslimit' switch 35 opens, the

holding circuit for the winding 45 is broken and the relay returns tothe position shown in Figure 6.

The connections for the motor I'3' are now reversed with the closing ofswitchv and the switch containing the contact 19, the lower winding ofthe motor is energized in the same direction. However, the upper windingof the motor is energized in the reverse direction. In this case currentflows from wire 38 through switch including contact 11 to wire 80 andthrough it to the connected terminal of that winding. It will beremembered that before the wire 38 was connected to the other terminalof the Winding.

Continuing this case, however, current flows from this winding backthrough wire 8| through the switch containing the movable contact 1B tothe wire connected thereto, through the switch containing the contact 19and limit switch 80 back to wire 12. Thus one winding of the motor i3 isreversed and the motor is energized for operation in the reversedirection. This causes the shaft i8 to revolve in the oppositedirection, carrying the nut back with it to its initial position. As thenut gets back to its initial position limit switch 6U opens-it will beremembered that previously limit switch 35 has closed. This leaves thecarriage free so that the door can be closed by the door check motor orheld open as long as desired. At this time the circuits are returned tonormal position, that is, the position shown in Figure 6 and the deviceis ready for operation to again open the door.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the features of this invention may be embodied in otherphysical forms. We do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited tothe description as given for purposes of illustration herein, but ratherto the scope of the appended claims.

What we seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a combination as described, a framework forming a door opening, adoor movably mounted in the opening, a motive device interconnecting thedoor with the framework for closing the door, a motor supported on theframework, a screw supported for rotation on its longitudinal axis,means for connecting said motor to said shaft to rotate it, a springinterconnecting said screw with a fixed support, means forming aguideway, a nut mounted on said guideway and engaging said screw, acarriage mounted on said guideway so as to be engaged by said nut, and aconnection between said carriage and said door whereby said motor causesmovement of the nut along the guideway to cause movement of saidcarriage in one direction to open the `door and energizes said springsothat When said motor is de-energized said spring operates said screw toreturn the nut to rinitial position so as to free said carriage, so thatsaid motive device is free to close the door.

2. In a door operating combination a door, mo-

tivey means connected to the door and biasing it to closed position, athreaded shaft journaled` adjacent the door, a motor, drivingconnections between the motor and shaft, a spring connected at one endto the shaft and at the other to an adjacent part, .a driver engagingthe threaded shaft and moved by rotation thereof, and means engageableby the driver and .connected to the door whereby the motor whenenergized causes the door to open and said spring energized to `quicklyAreturn the driver to door closed position when the motor isde-energized 'so that said motive device is free to close the door.

3. In av. mechanism as Vdescribed a door, a,

